From a Grim Dawn to a Brighter Night: Part 1
by dlc56295
Summary: An action story set roughly in the Grim Dawn Setting. Starting slow, it will become an action-packed exodus to the very edge of cairn.


Kallus swirled a few iron bits in his hand as he walked down the road. His bits jingled in time to the swirl of his magical greatcoat. The activity helped him relax as he scanned for threats on the horizon.

The swampy land wasn't exactly threatening, but it was giving him a kind of stink eye. Rotting wood made up crumbling houses that looked deader than the corpses that walked around them. Most of them were off in the distance, shambling around as they grasped in the air, but a few were close enough to make Kallus want to keep an eye out.

Not because they were dangerous. Kallus was tough enough that even a small horde couldn't take him down. He thought of himself as pretty good with a blade, with a pinch of necromancy to help him get out of situations.

He just didn't need the distraction.

There were things a lot worse than corpses walking around Cairn these days. Getting jumped on from one of those things would not end well.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts from his mind. All he would need to do would be to head to the cave, clear the creatures from it, and survive. He didn't know why that group of strange fellows in robes wanted him to do so and he didn't care.

What was important was that he was getting iron bits for the work.

He continued walking, relaxing as his long strides ate up distance. He chopped up a zombie, stabbed a large beetle, and tried to keep himself from getting bored on his way to the cave. The surrounding swampland's attempts to exude menace and terror failed, leaving Kallus uninterested.

His conflict with boredom came to an end when he found the cave. It wasn't an interesting cave, just a hole in the earth with the sign he needed to see next to it. The mundanity almost made him happy, since interesting jobs carried interesting risks he'd rather avoid. Now that he was here, Kallus could begin his boring job for bits.

Kallus entered the cave with confidence, letting his thick leather coat billow behind him. As he strode further into the cave, the darkness was held back by a soft blue glow that came from his belt. For a moment, there was only the light and the darkness.

Then, he went far enough in that he found them. In a large cavern that dwarfed both him and the enemies before him.

Scattered around a well in the cave were about a dozen Raug, rats warped by dark magic. They were pustules of fur and deformity whose greatest asset was their viciousness. Demonstrated by their first reaction when Kallus entered their area.

ATTACK!

They charged at him wildly, gnashing their jagged teeth if they weren't flailing their stone knives. The swarm's furious shrieks seemed to fill the cavern, making them seem like they weren't a little more than a dozen.

Kallus took note of this quickly, not bothering to accurately count the oncoming force. He just took out his two tools: a steel saber in his right hand and a bone filled with sickly green light in his left.

When they started to get close, he threw the bone to the horde. The bone shattered, releasing a sparkly mint green gas. Kallus hopped back from the spreading gas, eager to avoid the necromantic power imbued in the gas, while the Raug charged right into it.

On contact, the deathly magic mixed with the gas assaulted the Raug. A few immediately died, while most ended up weakened and staggering. Kallus steadied his sword, keeping an eye on the fading sparkles in the gas. Once they faded away, so would the magic.

When the last few sparkles started to dim, he held his left hand before him and marched to the Raug. He began to chant a phrase, risking himself as he began to turn his focus to the image of what he needed. Then, he turned that image to the Raug before him.

From the palm of his left hand, a stream of fire gushed from his hand. He began to circle them, knowing that they would surround him if he gave them the chance.

Already, while some of them burned, others were heading to his left and right. He wanted to ignore them, to finish off the crowd before him, but that was too dangerous.

So, he let the magic fade away, then charged the Raugs on his left with his saber in a firm grasp. When one of them leaped at him, Kallus took the opportunity to let itself get skewered on his sword.

Before it could struggle towards him, he briefly used his sword as a makeshift club and slammed the Raug into another one. The collision sent both Raug away from him, leaving him with three more to deal with.

He kept his movements evasive, slashing at them briefly while never staying still. When the first got too close, he slashed through the head. Turning to the second, he stepped to the side to avoid a leaping attack, swinging his sword to meet that Raug in the air. Once the second had fallen, he turned to the third.

Only to discover it had been joined by two more, emboldening themselves into a charge. With blood and adrenaline pumping, Kallus met their charge with fire and a battle cry. He wildly thrust his left palm out, sending a brief burst of chilling cold to attack.

The burst was only enough to kill a few of them, but it gave Kallus the chance he needed. He kicked one away, while he skewered another. The third managed to scratch him with its dagger, but it had trouble piercing his thick leather coat.

Noticing the pain, he kicked it to the ground and proceeded to stomp on it. As he stomped on it, he saw the last three Raug left had grabbed what looked like stone spears. Wary of their reach, he was distracted enough to let the Raug he was stomping on bite his foot.

He fought against the sudden pain with a roar, kicking the biting Raug into the others with the spears. Bowled over by the live missile, Kallus took advantage. He charged in and fought with his instinct.

He chopped a spear and Raug in one slash. Chopped another Raug with a few quick slashes. Finally, he grabbed a spear, pulled the Raug wielding it to him, then beat its jagged glass-shard teeth out with his saber's hilt.

It took only about a minute of turning that Raug's face into pulp for him to realize that there were no more enemies. He caught his breath as he came to terms with this revelation. He was about to leave the cave and consider the job done, before a sudden hiss changed those plans.

From a distant shadow, something slithered out. An amalgamation of snake and man; featuring a snake's body, scaled arms, and a serpentine face with human eyes.

Kallus didn't recognize it, but he did recognize the viciousness in its eyes. As well as the way it held its arms out in an attack.

He was already dashing away when the snake-thing released a torrent of water from its claws. The water slammed into the rock, breaking it with sheer pressure.

After evading Kallus charged the creature, hoping to end its attack quickly. Before the creature could focus its magic on him, he had already reached melee distance.

He swung his saber out but was stopped when the creature grabbed his saber with both claws. Not bothering to wrestle with the creature, he punched the creature's torso. When his first punch with flesh weaker than he expected, Kallus began punching even harder.

The creature lunged at him with a bite, showing off its wide jaw and long fangs. Kallus had to duck, narrowly avoiding it. He wanted to open on it with another burst of chill, but he thought that might not work on an enemy spouting water.

During the struggle, he felt his enemy's grip on the saber loosen. Forcing the saber away, he swung it at the enemy. The snake creature was cleaved apart, sending it falling apart on the cavern.

Then, Kallus knew it was over. He took a deep breath, letting his exertion drift away as cool air filled his lungs. His body and mind were joined in happiness, leaving him glad the job was over. Now, he could just leave this cave and get his money.

Wait a second …

He saw something glowing down one of the tunnels. What was that? Was it another monster?

Kallus couldn't go back without emptying this cave. He needed those bits. Eager to finish the job, he went to figure out what this was.


End file.
